Non-compliant sex offender arrested

LIHUE — A non-compliant sex offender who has been living as a vagrant in the Poipu area was arrested Thursday at Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor in Koloa.

Bernard Almeida, Jr., 59, was arrested and charged with 14 felony counts of non-compliance, according to a news release from Kauai Police Department. He is a registered sex offender who has failed to register since August of 2012.

Residents of the Poipu Beach area began calling police in mid-August about Almeida. A caller said Almeida had set up a shelter on a vacant lot he claimed he had permission from relatives of a family trust that owned the property.

The property had been sold and the new owner sought to have him evicted from the Kuai Road property. A tenant of a nearby condominium said he complained of garbage, noise and that a convicted sex-offender was living in close proximity to a resort beach area.

The police responded at least three times in August, he said, and Almeida had been slowly moving out of the property until the time of his arrest.

Almeida was last arrested on Aug. 12, 2012 for harassment. He is currently being held at Kauai Community Correctional Center with $13,000 bail for the new charges.

Almeida is scheduled to appear in District Court on Wednesday at 1 p.m., according to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

State law requires registered sex offenders to update the their registration and contact information with the police department. Failing to do so is a Class C felony and punishable by up to five years imprisonment for each violation.

The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center keeps a public listing of all registered sex offenders in the state. Search for an offender at www.ehawaii.gov/sexoffender.